


What to Expect

by ScuzBrains



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Bickering, Domestic, Fatherhood, Fluff, Kid Fic, Mild angst (like the tiniest bit), Multi, before the kid is A Kid though, don't look at me, eggfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:47:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22064989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScuzBrains/pseuds/ScuzBrains
Summary: An overworked, soon to be father, Julian Bashir, calls upon his best friend for a favor. His (almost) just as overworked not-quite-husband isn't very keen on the idea (at first).[teen rating for some language and mentions of risqué behavior]
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Kira Nerys/Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien (implied/light)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 77





	What to Expect

"Please Miles, I'll do anything." 

"No." 

"Oh come on! I'll... I'll let you win at darts for a _month_ , and I'll make it look good too!" 

"Julian!" The two officers had been bickering for the past 10 minutes, and Doctor Bashir's break was nearly over. 

"Miles, it's not even 1900 and I'm going to be in the infirmary until tomorrow morning. He's going to be all alone, I just need you to keep him company for-" 

"Oh for the last time Julian, I will not massage that Cardie you call a husband!" Bashir scrambled to finish another couple bites of his meal, a thin pasta with bits of ambiguous meat and hard boiled eggs, before he could reply again. 

"Look, if this is about your wetsuit, he _is_ working on it! He's just... a little busy... And besides, he's not my husband, not yet anyways." He inhaled another mouthful, thankful Garak wasn't here to see him eat like this. O'Brien crossed his arms are glared across the table. 

"I didn't say he _was_ your husband, I said y'call him your husband." Bashir flashed a smile at him between bites. "And it's not about the wetsuit either. I'm not a bloody masseuse, Julian! Keiko gets massages because she's my _wife_ , and the major-" 

"Was pregnant. Miles, please." 

O'Brien rolled his eyes and groaned. The last thing he needed to be reminded of, was that his best friend is finally going to experience the joys of fatherhood, and that damn lizard had to be the one making it happen. "This is just- I still don't even know _how_ this happened. Garak. Is having your child. Can you imagine him being a father? I bloody can't!" 

Bashir dragged his hands down his face with a sigh. "Miles look, I know you have some... strong feelings about E- about Garak. But like it or not, I do love him, and he loves me. I know you're not- well, the xenobiology-" he fumbled, trying to search for his words and finish his meal in the same breath. "Even for Cardassians, this is a rare occurrence, you know. And it's- I mean, we didn't plan this, we didn't even know he could- You do know I'm making you the godfather, don't you?" O'Brien stared dumbfounded as the doctor rambled. 

"Oh, I've got all the pediatric knowledge known to the federation, but hell if I know damn thing about raising kids." Bashir gathered his dishes and utensils, readying them to be reclaimed by the replicator. "And asking the captain is... of course I'll talk to him, he's my friend, but, he's also my superior, it's _different_. Miles, you're my best friend. And you're a wonderful father." He let out a sigh, his face too tired to hide the pained expression he fought. "Look, I won't force you, but I was hoping you could manage to be just a bit happy for us." Without another word, he got up with his tray and disposed of dinner's remains. 

O'Brien scrambled to collect his dishes and follow suit. "Aw, Julian I didn't mean to- if it's that important to you, I guess it won't hurt to just, spend an hour with the guy. Maybe bring the dart board or something..." 

Bashir turned and pounced on him with a hug that while strong, betrayed just how overworked he had been. " _Thank you_ Miles. I just- with these extra shifts and then all the checkups I have to drag him to, and-" 

O'Brien clapped a hand onto Bashir's back. "I know, I know. I'm sorry I was being an arse it's just... a bit of an adjustment." 

Bashir laughed and loosened his grip. "It's an adjustment for us too, we've only just finished moving into the new quarters, but there was no way we could fit a nursery or anything of the sort with the space we need for work, you know?" 

O'Brien chuckled and nodded. "Oh, I remember the waitlist on the Enterprise, we barely had the time to get everything set up before Molly came along. Oh- we still have some of her baby clothes, and Yoshi's got some he's just grown out of. If uh- if you need anything like that." 

Bashir laughed again. "Oh clothes are the one thing we _don't_ need. Any spare moment he gets, Elim sets out to make another little romper or something, you know him, even the baby's clothes have got to be fashionable. That reminds me-" His hands stopped mid-excited gesture and he flinched at the sound of his combadge beeping to life. 

"Doctor Bashir, please report to the infirmary."

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Really Miles, thank you. Just- be gentle with him. I know he's good at hiding it, but he's stressed about this whole thing too. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got what feels like about a million new medical staff to train." 

They both chuckled and said a quick goodbye, Bashir left jogging towards work, while O'Brien made his way towards Bashir's home. He remembered by the time he reached the hallway to let Keiko and Kira know he'd be home late, half jokingly wishing them a fun filled ladies night. The closer he got, the more he felt like he had to will his feet to keep walking. He dreaded the upcoming hours, but really he couldn't say no to Julian, not to something like this. As he reached the door, he took deep breaths to calm himself. He closed his eyes after punching the buttons near the door frame, screwing them closed tighter as he waited for the chime, and then- 

"Who is it?" The calm, measured voice showed none of the stress Bashir insisted he suffered. He stood there silently for a beat, thinking about what to say. 

"It's er- it's Chief O'Brien." _Brilliant, Miles._ He thought to himself. 

"You can let yourself in- I'm a bit busy at the moment." The door chirped again and opened with a whoosh of air. O'Brien stepped inside and tried to follow the voice, unfamiliar with the layout of his friend's new home. "If you've come to see Julian, I'm afraid he won't be able to come to the holodeck tonight, what with that ridiculous workload of his- as if I'm one to talk, so many orders of plain scrubs and drab uniforms, you know, a man can only take so much!" 

O'Brien found Garak in a little workroom, a few small boxes in the corner contradicting what Bashir had said about 'finishing' the move. From behind a mountain of fabric and outfits in various states of completion, there stood Garak. "Oh I know, I just had dinner with him while he was on his break, he er- had a favor to ask." 

Garak puffed air out of his nose and went to stretch out his back. A small bump was just barely visible above his stomach, if one didn't know better, it would have just looked like he had been overindulging on sweets, but O'Brien knew, and he couldn't help but stare. "I take it _I'm_ the favor you discussed, hm?" 

"Well I-" 

Garak rolled his eyes. "If I send you home I'll never hear the end of it, well, come on, help me pack these." The Cardassian gestured to the stack of clothes and the waiting packaging for them. "Let me guess, he wants you to make sure I have dinner, doesn't he? Just set up the boxes, these have to be folded in a very particular way." 

O'Brien looked towards the Cardassian, scanning him for the bump that was even more inconspicuous as he leaned over the worktable, folding the clothes. "Something like that, yeah." He grabbed one of the flat, preshaped pieces of cardboard and folded it into a shallow box. Wordlessly, Garak took the box with a polite nod and packed the new clothes in, sealing the end with some decorative tape. Silently, save for the sounds of cardboard rustling, the two found a rhythm. O'Brien would have a box just finished as Garak would reach for it and go about packing it. 

O'Brien was shook from his trance by the pained hiss Garak let out. It was a sound he knew well, but still couldn't believe it was coming from Garak. He could easily tell that Garak was cursing himself for the show of emotion. "Are you alright?" He asked, already knowing the answer he'd get. 

"Quite fine, thank you. Just-" Garak shook his head. "I'm fine." 

O'Brien put the box he was folding down and motioned for Garak to do the same with the garments he held, Garak merely looked at him with annoyance and continued folding, placing the folded sets in an even row, ready for their boxes. "You may be... whatever you are, but I know that noise, I did go through this twice, remember?" Garak quirked a brow ridge and flitted his eyes towards the man, but kept folding. "You're tired Garak, and if Julian's gonna beg me to play nurse for you, I may as well do it right." 

He let a puff of air out of his nose again. "This order has got to be completed by the time that little crash course Julian is giving to the new crop of bajoran medical officers is finished, and I will not be letting him down." He had gotten the last of the finished outfits folded and reached over to start folding boxes himself. 

"Garak you've got at least a week to do that and it looks like you're just about done anyways, you need rest, and I know Julian's told you that." 

Garak sighed. "I suppose I am a bit hungry, I did work right through dinner." O'Brien was ready to thank him for cooperating, but was interrupted before he could finish his first syllable. "But I do intend on returning to my work tonight." 

O'Brien rolled his eyes. "Well, as long as I make sure you get _some_ rest... where's your replicator I can get-" 

Garak made a noise in his throat. "I'm perfectly capable of working the replicator in my own home, _Chief_." Garak made his way towards the kitchenette, beckoning O'Brien to follow him, then gesturing for him to take a seat. "Would _you_ like anything?" 

O'Brien shook his head. "Er, no- no thank you." 

Garak shrugged and placed his order. "Bolognese with Spam, over steamed rice, one pickled tasper egg, and- oh..." Garak made a mournful noise. "One root beer. Small." When the the dishes materialized he carried them to the table and sat down with a grim expression. 

"I didn't think anyone but Julian ate Spam anymore, even on earth it's pretty uncommon now." 

"I can tell why." Garak said flatly, as he picked out a piece of meat with his fork, hesitating at first to put it in his mouth, then taking his usual small, measured bites. After a few mouthfuls he reached for his drink, taking a long sip. 

"I thought you hated root beer." 

"I do." Garak said, putting the emptied glass down with a grimace. 

"Cravings?" 

Garak nodded solemnly. "This isn't a child he's put in me, it's some kind of... parasite that's trying to turn me into him. The other night, I had him run out and get me _gagh_." Garak wailed again as O'Brien couldn't help but laugh. 

"With Keiko it was haggis, normally she hates it, but when she was expecting, she couldn't get enough." Garak's frown deepened as he kept eating, the satisfied noises he let out between groans contrasting his visage. 

He picked up the brown alien egg, the gelatinous shape wobbling as he bought it to his mouth. "You know, in some areas of Cardassia, this is considered a _punishment_ , of course, replicated is not nearly as bad as the real thing." 

O'Brien huffed and leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me about it! I had them once when we ran short on rations, they're absolutely disgusting." 

A smile played across Garak's lips for the first time since he'd started his meal from Hell. "Why Chief O'Brien, we've agreed on something! I will _have_ to tell Julian about this when he gets home, he won't believe me at all." 

The men shared a chuckle and O'Brien moved to clear the table "Don't even bother telling me not to, you get up so soon after that, and your little stranger in there's going to be doing summersaults." Garak looked up at him, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "I don't really know if Cardassians ever drink it, but do you want some milk? Keiko _and_ Nerys drank it like mad, normally they never touch the stuff." 

Garak leaned back in his seat, trying to stretch his back again without getting up. "Thank you, yes I would. And no, normally we don't, but Julian insisted, and it... helps in some strange way." 

O'Brien nodded, he'd be the first to admit, he was far from an expert on Cardassians, but at the point, he could safely say he knew what to expect when expecting. "Computer, O'Brien four-six-four." He returned to the table with a tall glass of light brown opaque liquid. Garak quirked his brow ridge and looked at the man quizzically. "Oh, it's got chocolate in it, I uh, I know Julian's always talking about how much you like chocolate, and I figured you might want a treat after all that." O'Brien looked away, trying to hide a smile. 

Garak looked down at the glass, as if to inspect it, then back at O'Brien. He tentatively took a sip. His eyes widened and he took another. "Of all the earth foods he _hasn't_ exposed me to, this had to be one of them." They laughed together again. Garak took his time to finish the glass, savoring it. When he was about halfway through, a twinge made him pause and stretch, trying to relieve the pain in his back. 

"If- " O'Brien began and paused, taking a deep breath and thinking if he was really going to say what he thought he was. "Erm... if you're feeling sore, I did tell Julian that I would... ah-" he scratched his head as Garak looked at him, taking another sip from his glass. "Look, I can give you a massage if you want. I've been told I'm pretty good at it." Garak was silent for a moment. He looked over his shoulder, as if to will his back pain away with a glare. "It's a limited time offer, Garak." 

Garak took a deep breath through his nose, and finished of his drink. "I think that would be... very helpful, thank you." He had become stiff and over polite, looking down into the glass in his hand.

"If you uhr- Let's see... well it'd probably be easiest if you sat on the bed, and took your... shirt off... just your shirt! I've no desire to see a Cardie in the buff, it's just that if you've got your shirt-" 

Garak stood up and calmly raised a hand to quiet him. "Chief, the only man on this station to see me nude is my Julian, and I quite intend to keep it that way." 

O'Brien reddened and stammered before giving up on explaining himself. "You start getting ready i just need something from the replicator-" 

Garak began walking towards the room, but paused at that. "If you need some kind of lotion, I have a bottle." The human bit his lip, he did need lotion to do this properly, but what he really wanted to do was replicate a pair of gloves, he wasn't keen on touching cold Cardassian scales up close. 

His mind was made up when he heard the wince Garak tried to suppress while pulling his shirt over his head. Bare hands would do a better job. "Oh. Okay, where-" 

Garak, his upper half now only covered by a thermal undershirt, gestured to the bedside table. Half of the table was full of clutter, stacks of Padds, a mug, and some isolinear rods that no doubt contained their holodeck adventures all sprawled under the watchful eye of a beat up, one eyed teddy bear that was propped against the wall. On the other side of the table, was one Padd by its lonesome, a small box with more isolinear rods visible, what looked to be a box of chocolates, and a small glass bottle, wide at the base with a twisted neck ending in a hand pump. 

As Garak folded his shirts, O'Brien reached for the bottle. "This it?" Garak nodded with a noise of approval. "It looks nice. It looks-" 

"Cardassian?" 

O'Brien avoided looking at Garak, sure he would be met with a disapproving gaze. "I just- I was wondering since... you know, the whole exile thing." 

Garak chuckled. "Julian imported it through Quark as an anniversary gift, and paid far too much for it, might I say." He took a deep breath, and exhaled with a sigh. "But it is nice to have a bit of home here." 

O'Brien nodded and pushed down on the pump, squeezing a bit into his palm, then rubbed his hands together, warming the lotion. "Ready?" 

Garak took another few deep breaths before answering. A curt "Yes." Was all he said. Knowing from Julian's oversharing that Cardassian shoulders were particularly sensitive, he chose to start near the middle trapezius. 

Before his hands had even made contact, Garak flinched. "Oh, don't worry, I warmed it up, it uh, it won't be cold." 

Garak forced his back to straighten. "It's not the temperature." 

"Alright. Just erm- let me know if anything is... I mean if it doesn't feel good." He felt his ears burn at his phrasing. Gently, he placed his hands against Garak's back and began to rub him. 

"Careful with my scales please, they can get caught easily." When eyeing to see which direction the scales laid, he noticed a reddish-purple bruise on Garak's neck, peaking out from the scales around it.

"Yeah no fooling, looks like y'had one catch on your shirt up here." 

Garak moved again under his hands, but this time, because his body shook with laughter. "That scale got caught on _Julian's teeth_ , Chief." 

O'Brien sputtered and tried to resume his massage. "That's... nice." Garak chuckled to himself, O'Brien couldn't help but notice the muscles under his hands felt much less tense. As much as he hated confronting the reality of what his friend had to be doing with this shifty alien to lead to them becoming expecting fathers, the thought seemed to put Garak at ease. 

Moving his hands carefully, as to not go against the grain of the scales, O'Brien worked his way along Garak's back. He went down his spine, then gently moved upwards along his soft sides, and repeated this for a few minutes. Feeling a lot of tension near his lumbar region, he focused there next, giving the area more dedicated attention. 

Garak gasped and hissed as the knots were worked out of his muscles. "Oh- oh yes- _yesss_ that's the _spot_." Garak began to rumble, the deep sound vibrating through his whole body, and leaned into the touch. O'Brien had been inadvertently warned of this via Bashir's infodumps as well, but it was still surreal to him to hear a Cardassian purring like a big overfed cat. A voice in his head told him to put a stop to the noise with a well placed splash of cool lotion, but he couldn't bring himself to purposefully do that. This time at least. 

He warmed some more lotion into his hands and made the move he'd been dreading all night, Garak's shoulders. The rumble stopped for a moment, as if caught in Garak's throat, but the warm hands pressing down in all the right ways and places made him powerless to resist his state of relaxation. He made noises neither of them wanted to hear this night, but they had both chosen to ignore. In an attempt to make things a bit less awkward, O'Brien made an attempt at small talk. "So er- have you gotten a due date yet? I couldn't help but notice you started showing." O'Brien winced at his own comment and Garak leaned back a bit into his hands. 

"Mmh, well, Julian estimates somewhere between 2 and 3 months, but as for when it hatches, really we've no clue." 

O'Brien's eyes widened. "Hatch- _bloody egg laying, cold blooded-_ " 

Garak stopped rumbling. "My hearing isn't _that_ bad, Chief. Though what wonderfully astute observations you've made! Yes, _hatches_. Most Cardassians do come from eggs, and Julian has found evidence a shell membrane has formed, so it appears our child will indeed, _hatch_." 

He felt like his head was spinning, but he kept working the shoulders with his hands, and despite the rumbling having stopped, Garak showed no signs of wanting O'Brien to quit. "It's just- a human, coming from an egg- it sounds so..." 

"I know you're not fond of the idea, but the child _is_ half Cardassian." Garak sighed and looked around the room, as if searching for someone who might hear him lower his shields. 

"We still aren't really sure how this is going to work ourselves. I- with most Cardassians who can carry, they have a nice, spacious cavity for the egg to grow in, mine is... quite small. A clutch is usually 1-3 small, leathery eggs, that allow the hatchling to grow outside of this pouch, without restriction. But this child is... bigger then it should be. Much bigger. If they were a Cardassian, at this size they'd have been laid, but it's too soon, far too soon." O'Brien listened, dumbfounded. "Humans take nine months. A Bajoran, would be 5 months. For Cardassians, it's 3 months inside, then 2-3 of incubation." He looked down, and lazily ran a hand over the small bump in his abdomen. "I trust Julian. I have to trust him, he _knows_ these things. But I can't help but be... afraid." 

O'Brien sighed, then dug his thumbs into Garak's shoulders, moving them in circles, using his hands to try and reassure him. "When Keiko was in that accident, Julian- I mean, if he wasn't there, I would've lost both of them. Keiko is fine, Nerys is fine, and Yoshi- oh he's growing up wonderfully. Garak, if Julian can do that in an emergency, I've no doubt he's already got solutions for any complications that might come along. I know I tell him he's too full of himself- and usually he is, but, god, he really is an amazing doctor, have you ever seen any evidence to the contrary?" 

Garak squirmed under his hands. "No- no he always figures _something_ out." 

O'Brien smiled, and patted Garak's shoulder. "Do you feel better?" 

Garak nodded and reached for his shirts, putting them on as meticulously as he'd taken them off. "You can go home now if you'd like. I'm getting tired, and I'd like to wake up before Julian gets home. I... trust that I can expect your... discretion, regarding our little chat tonight?" 

"Only if I can trust you not to tell the whole station I was in here rubbing down your scales." They laughed together as Garak lead him to the door. 

"And, Chief- thank you." Garak stuck out his hand. 

"Anything for a friend." O'Brien reached for the handshake, giving Garak's hand a brief squeeze before letting go and making his way towards home. As he made his way down the halls, he hoped his kids hadn't fallen asleep yet, he felt he owed them some quality time.

###### 

Bashir rubbed his eyes and yawned, bidding the final batch of his trainees a good night, and good morning. He looked at the chronometer. It was 0800, he was tired, but he was finally done with this shift. He wanted desperately to go straight home, but there was something he needed to do first, or rather someone he needed to see. 

He sped down the halls, nearly out of breath by the time he reached his destination. He was just about to try the chime on the door when he saw his reason for coming here walking down the hall, he'd beaten Sisko to his office. The captain looked at him questioningly, but waved the door open, and nodded him in. 

"Is everything alright, doctor? It's not usual I see you here so early, especially after a shift like that. How many hours was it this time, 30?" 

Bashir followed him through the door. "27, I managed to get a couple extra breaks so I could check on Elim." Bashir often avoided using Garak's given name outside the house, knowing he wasn't always comfortable with it, but Sisko was trustworthy, and he knew Garak had a great deal of respect for the man. 

Sisko nodded as he lowered himself into his chair, picking up the baseball from his desk and playing with it in his hands. "Mmm, tell your staff to get used to that, you'll only need more once that baby comes." 

Bashir nodded and swallowed, trying to force down his anxiety. "Yes sir." 

"Now, what was it you came to see me about, is there a problem with any of the trainees? If there is, that's more something that would be Major Kira's jurisdiction." 

Bashir paced a little, he felt like if he stood still he wouldn't be able to keep from nodding off, but this was important. "No- no it's nothing like that, they're all very eager, they'll be going on to great work on Bajor, and from what they've told me they're sorely needed. It's just-" 

Sisko looked at him. "The workload then? I've told Starfleet Medical it's not right to give you these long shifts, but they won't send me another officer. They said an augmented CMO with your credentials should be more then enough for our 'little station'." He have a coarse chuckle to emphasize his dislike of the treatment. 

"Well, yes- kind of. Not the hours, but something else you said, my... my 'status'. My standing with Starfleet, I- I guess." 

Sisko quirked an eyebrow. "Doctor, if I gave you any impression your job was in danger-" 

Bashir put a hand to his head and let out an upset sound. "It's not _my_ job, and it's not- I mean it's-" Sisko quietly put the baseball down and looked at the man who stood before him. "What kind of life in the federation can someone have, if one father is a- a bloody augment-" he spit the word out like it disgusted him. "And the other is a Cardassian. I've heard stories from Worf and Nog, children can be so cruel- If my child wants to join Starfleet-" 

Sisko nodded his head to the side. "Doctor, you know that's not a guarantee, you shouldn't try to plan out their life before they even take their first breath." 

Bashir let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm saying _if_ they _want_ to. Would they even be allowed? If Starfleet knew what my parents did, I would've been barred from the academy! And what-" Sisko raised his brows and looked at him, waiting. " _What if they're like me?_ like the way I- what if they're another Jules Bashir? And it would all be my fault-" 

Sisko stood up, looking Bashir in the eyes. "What would be your fault? That your child was born to loving parents? Parents who understand that no child needs to prove themselves or adhere to some ridiculous standards? Julian, I'm aware your parents put you through a lot, and while they were here I bit my tongue, but I'm disgusted by your father and I can't believe you still feel like you owe that man anything." Sisko's voice was even and stern, the tone he used for these speeches never failed to shake Bashir to his core. He could do nothing but stare and listen. 

"How did you..." 

"I'm a father too. I know I'm not perfect, and I think any man who claims himself to be is a damn fool. But when I think of two people looking down at the _child_ that they should be loving, and just seeing faults and flaws, I get angry, and I'm sure you've noticed by now, I've got a pretty short temper." Sisko began to pace, walking around Bashir, who had started to lean against the desk. "It's not easy when your child doesn't do what you hope for, I was disappointed when Jake told me he wasn't going to be enrolling in the academy, and when he first decided to become friends with Nog." 

Bashir sighed. "Captain, Jake's a fine young man-" 

Sisko held up a finger to silence him. "I'm not finished. It wouldn't have been hard for me to force Jake to do what I wanted him to. All his life, every choice he's had the freedom to make, I could've made for him. Hell, when his mother was taken, I could've sent him to live with his grandfather and just not bother being a parent anymore. Oh I could say, that I did it out of love, or that I had his best interests in mind. Do you think 'Cadet Jake Sisko' on Earth would like that very much?" Bashir shook his head. "Do you think, he would just, accept it? Julian, your father's in jail for God sakes and he's there for a reason!" 

Bashir felt pinpricks at his eyes and rubbed at them, trying to keep his face serious. "They messed up, I-" 

"Choosing to replace your child with one you think is better, then forcing him to live with that for over 20 years is not an accident Julian." 

Bashir felt his lip quiver, and the second he opened his mouth, the tears he tried repress fought their way to his eyes. "Okay! My father is terrible and I shouldn't forgive him! But what makes me think I'll be any better? What am I going to do, if I look at this child, and all my head tells me is what can be better. I could never forgive _myself_ if I even so much as thought something like that. " He sobbed openly now. "This is such an unconventional pregnancy, so many things can go wrong, if I have to make choices about their future how will I know what would be right and what would be just- carrying on the family tradition." 

Sisko nodded understandingly and put his arms around Bashir. The doctor froze for a moment, and thought about this feeling. Sisko was holding him in a way Richard never had, and likely never would. He held him with love and understanding in his heart, and tried to calm him down for Bashir's sake, not for his own or to look good. The room was quiet, the only sounds coming from his muffled crying and the hum of the station. He put his head on the captain's shoulder and thought about the fathers he'd come to know on the station. O'Brien's willingness to sacrifice anything for his family's safety and happiness. Worf's constant fears of inadequacy, how he always wanted to know how Alexander was doing but was always too worried to contact him, how they'd begun to reconcile. Even Rom, how much he'd changed in how he treated his son, and his support of Nog's enrollment in Starfleet. And of Sisko, and how every choice he made, especially after his wife's death was always made with Jake in mind, Jake was always first, and he was always important, even when the captain was upset with him, or disappointed in a choice he'd made. 

He thought about his own childhood, and how couldn't think of a single thing his father had done that wasn't just to keep his secret from getting out, or to keep his life from being anything less then what he deemed perfect. All the moves, the lies, _the hospitals_. Then he thought of something that drove a shudder through his body. 

Garak's father. There was few things he could say he concretely knew about Enabran Tain, but what he did know both frightened and angered him. Garak was an expert at hiding trauma, but after their stint in the Dominion jail, and Bashir's dealings with Tain, he couldn't hide everything he'd been through, or the damage he was still dealing with months after he watched the man who abused him since before he was even born die on a prison bed. 

Julian broke the near silence. "Neither of us, that is, Elim and I- we have no idea what we're doing. We want to do this, we don't regret what's happening but- God, I'm scared. What scares me more is he's been scared enough to tell me that he is too." 

Sisko moved his hands to Bashir's shoulders, holding him in place while they looked at each other. "You never stop being scared. All the preparation and advice in the world wouldn't stop you from being scared. What's important is you do your best to keep that fear from your child. And you love them, you love them no matter what. Are you willing to lose _everything_ if it's for the sake of your child?" 

Bashir sniffled. "Of course." He let out a weak laugh. "I dragged Elim to the infirmary and convinced him to agree to an ultrasound, I'm not sure if you know how much he hates sickbays, but that was a life or death situation in itself." 

Sisko chuckled and swung an arm over Bashir's shoulder. "And what did it show, _dad_?" 

Bashir smiled, his face still wet with tears. "Well, not much yet, it's still early days, but we know they'll hatch from an egg, isn't that wonderful?" Sisko couldn't help but laugh, Bashir's ability to find wonder in the strangest things always endeared him. "They're growing like a human, I just hope they don't grow too fast and make Elim too uncomfortable, but it's already looking like we'll need to remove them surgically, figuring out the timeline is the tricky part- I don't want to cut them off from that safety and nutrition the body offers, but I think once that egg shell has fully formed it'll be safe, I've already started looking into an incubator, no matter what we were going to need one, I'm sure they'll be as sensitive to temperature as Elim is." Any doubts Sisko had about the reckless, naive doctor becoming a father began to melt away as he babbled about plans and preparations he'd made. "Oh and um- about what you said earlier, I probably am going to need _some_ time off. Of course, I'll still be here for emergencies, but the first months are so critical for development and-" 

Sisko laughed again. "Julian, I'm sure Garak is waiting for you, go to him, reassure him." 

Bashir smiled and wiped his face off on his sleeve. "Thank you, Captain." He gave the man a quick hug before heading towards the door. 

As the door opened, Sisko called to Bashir. By the time he turned his head, Sisko was back in his chair, baseball in hand. "Oh and Julian- I wouldn't bother trying to wring any parenting advice out of Dax, Jadzia'll be the first to tell you, that damn worm's never had much luck as a mother or a father." 

Bashir grinned. "I'll be sure to tell her you said that when I let her know she's going to be the godmother." He turned back towards the door and started on his way home.

He made one more stop along the way, picking up some delevian chocolates he'd ordered through Quark, and made it to his quarters before 0900. He didn't bother chiming, as he'd hoped Garak was still asleep. 

He went straight for the sonic shower, setting it as high as it would go to quickly wash off the film of sweat covering him from his shift. He changed into his pajamas, which Garak had kindly folded and put on the bathroom counter, knowing he wasn't scheduled for another shift until the next day. He kept his steps as quiet as he could on his way to the bedroom, not wanting to disturb his partner. Any attempt at reticence was dropped when he found Garak sitting up in bed, reading a Padd. 

"Elim!" 

"Julian!" Garak tossed the device on the bed and held his arms open. 

Bashir rolled his eyes and sped to embrace him. "Did you sleep at all? I keep telling you-" 

Garak chuckled. "No need to get your tricorder out dear, I went to sleep after Chief O'Brien left. You said you'd be getting off at 0800, so I set an alarm, I wanted to see you." 

Bashir smiled fondly and nuzzled against him, planting a small kiss on his cheek. "Well, I wanted to see you too, in bed." He took up a mockingly stern tone, and Garak took one feigning offense. 

"I _am_ in bed, dear." 

" _Asleep_ , Elim." Bashir kissed him again. "Mm- I got you something-" fumbling for his pocket, he reached in and pulled out the small box of chocolates. 

"Oh!" Garak accepted the box with a smile. "Oh, dearest, thank you but, I still haven't finished the last box you got me." He gestured towards the nightstand, where the sweets lay in wait. 

"I know, but, well, I wanted to get you _something_ , I thought about some nice flowers, but with how busy we are right now, I don't think we'd have the time to water the poor things." 

Garak reached to place the chocolates on the nightstand with the other box. "Ah, you're probably right. Are you going to sleep now or shall we have some breakfast together?" 

Bashir hesitated for a moment, wiggling out of Garak's grasp and sitting at the foot of their bed. He shrugged and folded his hands in his lap. "I could eat, yeah, but before you get up there's something I've got to do-" He looked at Garak with a smug grin, one that Garak recognized immediately. 

"Oh- oh Julian no, come on, it was funny the first time but-" He made a small attempt at holding his shirts down, but Julian managed to pull them up, exposing his belly. 

"Good morning little one!" He kissed the bump that housed their coming child, and nuzzled against the soft scales that covered it. Garak tried to groan, but couldn't stop himself from laughing. Julian joined in his laughter, and scooted up, linking his arms around Garak's shoulders and giving him another kiss, this one right by his chufa. "Shall I carry you to breakfast, love?" Garak kissed Bashir's jaw, the stubble creating an interesting sensation as it grazed his lips. 

"You really don't need to." 

"I _can_." They looked at each other for a moment, then pressed their foreheads together. 

"I think for now I'll walk, but if this beast you've put in me gets any bigger, I'll have no choice but to let you carry me." Bashir smiled and kissed him again before standing up. He offered a hand which Garak graciously took to help lift himself up. 

Bashir stared at him fondly as he pulled his shirts back down, smoothing out the fabric. "Elim-" 

"Hm, yes dear?" 

"I love you." 

Garak nuzzled up against him, wrapping his arms around his human as they walked towards the kitchen. "I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> Please refrain from using the term mpreg in comments thanks ✌🏼  
> Also the next chapter of What Shall We Do is on the way, just need to find the time to rewatch some episodes for research.


End file.
